Page 147 of Set Me On Fire

“I assumed that when I saw you at the station the next morning,” he said.

“You knew that was a walk of shame?” I shook my head and let out a little laugh despite myself. “That’s very progressive of you, Brent.”

“You kids… You think you’re the first ones to invent casual sex. If you’d lived through the 70s, you’d know that getting a bit messy at a Christmas party was no big deal.”

“With three of your firefighters?” I was done pretending. The truth would come out, and I’d face the consequences. In some ways, I was bargaining with fate, promising this in return for making sure my guys were safe.

“Well, there was this party—” he started to say.

“Where I ended up in a relationship with all three of them? We’re all living together at Knox’s place, because I’m pregnant and I don’t know which one of them is the father, and they all want to co-parent with me.”

“Dave does.” I heard my steering wheel creak as Brent’s grip tightened. “That’s what the fight was about, apparently.” The look he gave me was apologetic. “After he’s gotten back from the doctors, Dave will be facing down a disciplinary hearing as well as a final meeting with HR. He won’t be working as a firefighter again. The prick looked at your emails…”

Brent was telling me all the details, but I couldn’t hear them. A high-pitched whine replaced his voice, getting louder and louder as we drove closer. It didn’t stop until he pulled out the front of the hospital.

“Go inside, love. I’ll park your car and bring your keys to you.” He reached over and squeezed my hand, but all I could dowas just stare at the hospital, unable to process any of it. “Go to them. Go to your boys.”

That, that was what I had to do. I had the door opened, my feet flying across the concrete, then the polished tile floor as I zeroed in on the emergency department nurse’s station. People filled the waiting room, but none of them were my guys. I walked up to the glass window, the bored nurse looking up as I approached.

“Knox Ryan,” I said. “Noah Taylor. Charlie Henderson. They’re all firefighters that have been brought in to the emergency department.”

“And you are?” she asked.

My lips moved, ready to spill my entire story to her if that’s what got me through the doors and to their sides.

“Millie?” A male nurse who’s scrubs seemed to be struggling to contain his muscles stood up and stared at me. I stared back, because I’d never seen him before in my life. “You’re Millie McDonald?”

“Yes.”

“They’ve been asking for you.” The nurse who’d greeted me looked a whole lot less bored now. “Pretty insistently. They gave me a number to call, but…”

I looked down at notifications, only now seeing the missed calls.

“I’m sorry.” Jesus, my voice broke on that, tears forming in my eyes as I looked up. “I put it on silent at work to stop myself from being distracted and?—”

“Hey.” Nurse boy came from behind the desk, putting a hand on my arm and then giving it a squeeze. “It’s OK.” Then he told me the one thing I needed to hear. “They’re OK. A bit banged up, but… You should come and see for yourself.”

He led me towards the doors to the emergency ward, using his swipe card to get us in. We walked past beds and moaningpeople and machines that go ping, the whole place feeling cold and clinical, until I stumbled into here.

“Heyy…”Charlie lifted his head off the pillow, the bandage on his cheek stark white against his tanned skin. “There’s our girl.”

“Millie?” Knox’s voice sounded hoarse and scratchy. “What the hell are you doing here?”

I took in the bandaged arm in a sling, his face dirty and tired against the white pillow.

“Here to see you, idiot.”

I barely croaked that out as I sank down in the gap between their beds. My hands, my eyes, didn’t know where to go first. I was staring at Knox while reaching for Charlie’s hand, not able to take a full breath until he gripped it. My free hand went to Knox’s cheek, then I turned back to Charlie, catching his wry smile, then a wince as the muscles in his face pulled at his injury.

“Are you OK? What happened?” They sucked in breaths, ready to answer, but didn’t get a chance. “Was this related to the fight Noah had with Dave…?” I looked around. “Where’s Noah?” Each one of them went quiet, especially the nurse. “Where’s Noah?”

“Garrett, can you take her through to intensive care?” Knox asked, but that had him dissolving into a hacking cough. I moved forward but he waved me away, moving to get out of bed. “And unhook us from these machines as well.”

“Now Knox—” Garrett, the nurse, said.

“Better do it, Gazza, me old mate,” Charlie said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, and that’s when I saw the hospital gown and the bandage on his leg. “Fort Knox will just start tearing cords out left and right if you don’t.”

The nurse sighed.

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